Cable-clamp



w, w. POPE. CABLE CLAMP.

1,34L438. Patented May Z5, 1920.

WILLIAM W. POPE, 0F PORTLAND, OREGON.

CABLE-CLAMP.

Application filed .Tune 13,

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, WILLIAM W. Porn, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Portland, county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, haveinvented anew and useful Improvement in Cable-Clamps, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to make an efficient cable clamp of thetype illustrated in Figure l of the accompanying drawings.

The defects of the prior construction of this type of clamp, and thespecial features of my improvements are more readily described by theaid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

lFig. l is a sectional elevation of my clamp, showing the same as usedin practice;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a similar section showing a possible variation of theconstruction of my clamp;

Fig. t is a diagrammatic cross-section of the cable shown in Fig. l onthe plane indicated by the broken line 4l of said Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic cross-section of said cable on the planeindicated by the broken line of Fig. l;

Fig. 6 diagrammatically illustrates one of the features of constructionof my clamp;

'Fig 7 is an elevation of an implement provided by me for bending thecable-end around the wedge part of my clamp, and thus adapting the cablefor being inserted in the socket of my clamp, and

Fig. 8 is a top view of the device shown in Fig. 7.

My cable comprises a socket a, made with a shank o, and a wedge cadapted for being inserted in the socket as illustrated more clearly inFig. 2. The socket is made with grooves or concave clamping-surfaces d,e,

and the wedge is made with opposed companion grooves or clampingsurfaces g, 7L; these grooves providing the cavities for receiving thecable c'.

ln the course of many tests l discovered that when imposing a severestrain on the cable it had a tendency to break within the clamp, andusually at the top of the latter. I further discovered that the cause ofthe cable so failing was, it had a tendency to stretch from the pointdesignated by the broken line 4 in Fig. l down, and to assume a taperingform of diminishing cross-sec- Specifcation of Letters E'atent.

Patented May 25, 1920.

1919. Serial No. 304,057.

tion. Hence if the opposed clamping surfaces d and g of the socket c andwedge c are parallel to each other instead of having a 'conformingtaper'then the cable will be .socket and the wedge with a downward taperapproximating that assumed by the cable; and hence when the severe pullis applied to the cable tending to cause it to stretch as mentioned, thedownward convergence of said clamping surfaces of the socket and thewedge will assure that the cable portion between the points l and 5 ofFig. l, is firmly gripped along the entire length of said clampingsurface.

rlhis described feature of my improved cable clamp is diagrammaticallyillustrated in Fig. 6, in which the lines d, g, represent the opposedclampingsurfaces of the socket and wedge.

Assuming the cable to have a diameter of half an inch the parts would beso adapted that when the wedge c is positioned in the socket asv shownin Fig. l, the space between said clamping surfaces in the plane of thebroken line 4: of Figs. l and 6, would be /16 of an inch, and from thatpoint downward the lines CZ, g, would taper so that at the plane of thebroken line 5 of Figs. land 6, the distance between said lines Z and gwould be only 13/32 of an inch.

The converging or approach of said clamping surfaces CZ, g, toward eachother and the gradual diminishing of the diameter of said compositegroove from the top downward also serves to minimize the tendency of thecable to stretch within the clamp as mentioned.

Furthermore l discovered that in order to obtain full efficiency thewedge should be made of the same length approximately as the socket, sothat the clamping surface d, of the latter will be opposed for itsentire length by the clamping surface g of the wedge. Such constructionis necessary in order to obtain the full benefit of said convergence ofthe opposed clamping surfaces.

lt is also essential to avoid any cutting effect upon the cable by thelower edge of wedge, as would exist if the lower edge of distance orlength between the points 4i and 5 of Fig. l; therefore each cablestrand has turn, during said length, brought to bear upon it the direct,firm grip of the two opposed clamping surfaces cl and g of the socketand wedge, while if the clampV were made of lesser length only some ofthe strands would be brought under such iirm grip.

' rlhe companion grooves or clamping surfaces d, g, of the socket V@andwedge c, are so located as to bring the draft on the cable approximatelyin alinement with the longitudinal center of the clamp.

rlihe clamp has to be made in size proportional to the cable on which itis to be used, following in this regard the general proportionsillustrated in Figs. l and 2, and in the description thereof. Y

Fig. 3 represents two optional variations inV construction: The sockety' and wedge 7i:

are made oval, so as to assure the latter will be properly seated in theformer, in erder to bring` the companion grooves and clamping surfacesZ, m and a, 0 opposite each other. The same result may be also obtainedby making the socket y' with a longitudinal rib p, andV the wedge 7ewith a companion groove g. A rEhe implement shown in Figs. l and 8, forbending the end of the cable i, consists of a shank r, madeV with a claw8 for holding the wedge Vo. A handle t, made with a forked end t ispivoted on the cla-w s at a, andthe forked end is made with a shouldero. Adjacent the latter is journaled a roller wf Y ln using my implementthe wedge c is first put in place. The cable is then inserted as shownin Fig. 7. The handle 25 is then moved to its position in dottedoutline, thereby bending the `cable ende" to its position indottedoutline.

Thebent cable-end beingsecured by a maries season-Wire the wedge c maythen be removed and placed in the socket of the clamp as illustrated inFig. 1. And as soon as the pull of the load is applied, the parts willbecome arranged approximately as illustrated in the last mentionedligure.

Since Vthe cable is firmly gripped by the clamping surfaces d, g, of thesocket and wedge, there will be only a minimum stress on the bend partg/ of the cable on the groovedl upper part f of the wedge 0. rlhecompanion gripping-surfaces e z, of the socket and cable serve to gripthe extremity of the cable as usual.V

l claim: Y Y' l. A clamp comprising a socket and a tapering wedge, eachmadewith companion half grooves providing two sets of diametricallylocated cavities for receiving a cableend, and constituting clampingsurfaces for the latter; the opposed clamping surfaces of one set ofcompanion half grooves ap preaching each other from the top downwardthereby gradually diminishing the diameter of said grooves and assuringa firm grip of the cable-end by said clamping-surfaces and along thewhole length thereof notwithstanding any stretch of the cable in saidset of grooves.

2. A clamp comprising a socket and a tapering wedge, each made with acompanion half groove forming a cavity for receiving a cable end andconstituting clamping surfacesfor the latter; said clamping surfacesapproaching each other from the top downward thereby graduallydiminishing the diameter of said grooves and, assuring a firm grip ofthe cable-end by, said clampingV surfaces, and along the whole lengththereof notwithstanding any stretch of thecable of said grooves, Y

'3. A clamp comprising a f socket and a tapering wedge,each made with acompanion half groove forming a cavity for receiving a cable end andconstituting clamping surfaces for the latter; said clamping surfacesapproaching each other from the top downward thereby graduallydiminishing the diameter of said grooves andV assuring a firm grip ofthe cable-end by said clamping surfaces and along `the whole lengththereof notwithstanding any stretch of the cable in said grooves, andsaid socket' and wedge being adapted Vto cause the proper seating of thelatter in the socket for bringing said WILLIAM W. POPE.

